SOS UK awarded funding for youth-led research on parental substance use and higher education

We are excited to announce that SOS UK has been awarded funding from the “You’re Only Young Once” (YOYO)Fund to explore how parental substance use affects young people’s experiences in higher education. This work will begin in February 2026 and will place young people’s perspectives at the centre, helping universities understand the challenges they face and how support can be improved.

Parental substance use is a reality for tens of thousands of children across Scotland. Between 41,000 and 59,000 live with a parent who uses drugs,[i]and around 17% live with at least one parent whose drinking is at hazardous or harmful levels, with about 2% of children living with a parent whose drinking is considered harmful or dependent^[ii]. These numbers represent young people navigating complex family circumstances, each with their own strengths, challenges, and experiences.

While there is strong evidence on the impact of parental substance use at school, less is known about how it influences decisions to attend university, academic performance, social engagement, or use of support services.

Our Project

Thanks to The YOYO Fund, whose youth panel selected this project, SOS UK will begin by conducting confidential online interviews with students who have lived with parental substance use. The aim is to understand how these experiences have influenced their choices about university, their academic and social experiences, disclosure to universities, and engagement with support services.

Following the interviews, the young people will take part in a half-day co-development workshop to collaboratively create a paper with insights and recommendations for universities. Finally, the findings will be shared at a virtual dissemination event, where the students will present alongside SOS UK to universities, student support services, youth organisations, and policymakers.

Why it matters

Scottish universities have a long history of widening participation, seeking to make higher education accessible to students facing additional barriers. While many institutions have policies recognising caring responsibilities, the number of students affected specifically by parental substance use is unknown.

By centring the lived experience of these young people, this project fills an important gap. This approach reflects the Hidden Harm report’s call to hear and value the perspectives of young people growing up with parental substance use[iii]. The insights generated will help universities in their efforts to develop informed, responsive, and inclusive support systems.

A note of thanks

We are grateful to The YOYO Fund and their youth panel for supporting this work. Their commitment to putting young people in the driving seat of funding decisions is a powerful example of youth-led decision-making in practice.

Through this project, we aim to listen, learn, and use these insights to ensure students affected by parental substance use are supported to succeed in higher education.

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References

[i] Scottish Executive. (2003). Hidden Harm: Scottish Executive Response to the Report of the Inquiry by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive

[ii] Scottish Government. (2019). Scottish Health Survey 2019 – Volume 1: Main Report, Chapter 4: Alcohol (57th ed.). Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

[iii] Scottish Executive. (2003). Hidden Harm: Scottish Executive Response to the Report of the Inquiry by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive

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